Peter Collins

Enzo Ferrari telephoned his driver Peter Collins before the 1956 Grand Prix of Italy for one of “those” conversations. The Great Man said he would not ask Peter to give up his chance of winning the year’s Formula One World Championship in favor of Fangio, but he wanted to know the lad’s opinion on the matter! The youngster came back to his boss like a shot, saying he never thought a 25-year-old like him could take on the considerable responsibility of being champion. He had plenty of time ahead of him and felt Fangio should retain his title for another year, because he deserved to do so. Peter concluded by saying he would always be ready to hand his car over to Fangio if doing so would help the Argentinean.

To some, those would have been just empty words, but not to a well-brought-up young Briton in the mid-fifties. Things were different then. The British were even more obsessed with fair play and doing the right thing. Like his contemporaries, Peter had had such principles drilled into him from the start.